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CHAPTER V.

SECTION II.

LETTER TO MR. FULLER-LETTERS TO HIS SISTERS-LETTER TO DR. RYLAND—
MR. CAREY AND BRETHREN TO THE SOCIETY-LETTER
AND MR. FULLER.

FROM MR. CAREY

MR. CAREY TO MR. FULLER.

'MY DEAR BROTHER,

Moypal, Dec. 21, 1799.

'I am now at this place, on my way to Dinagepore, whither I am going, in company with brethren Ward and Powel, to pay my last visit before I leave this part of the country.

'The occasion of our going from hence you have already heard, viz., government having refused to permit our brethren to come up to us to this part of the country. The death of our dear brother Grant you have also been informed of, I suppose, by others of our brethren. It is my intention to write more largely before the ships go; but lest I should not

have time, or they should sail sooner than ordinary, I write this just to inform you of our situation.

Brother Ward and myself, yesternight, made a calculation of our probable expenses for one year.

I think that we probably may bring them within six or six hundred and fifty pounds per annum, but certainly cannot live upon less, even if we can live for less than the £810. At Serampore, the place to which we are going, every thing is dearer than here by nearly one half; and we must pay more attention to the article of clothing than we should do here. Powel, who is very economical, thinks that we cannot do for less than the £810, which is only 405 rupees a year, or 32-12 rupees each per month; accounting two children equal to one grown person, and laying the whole at sixteen persons: my two eldest sons are counted as full grown. If we should have rent to pay, that alone would amount to one hundred and eighty rupees more a month, at the least calculation, or two thousand one hundred and sixty, viz., £270 a year. We have, therefore, agreed to purchase land of the Danish government, and erect eight bungalows or straw houses: this will cost near three thousand rupees, a sum very little more than one year's moderate rent in houses. Besides this, there is the loss on Kidderpore, amounting to about £500, of which I shall send particulars.

'We are affrighted at all this expense, and fear that you will be so too; yet it cannot be lessened. We have thought that it would be the best thing you can do to send the whole of your funds, which you say

amounts to £3000, to this country, and lend it to government on interest at twelve per cent. This would be a regular fund of £360 a year, without any of the difficulties and uncertainties attending drawing

on persons in England. We propose to teach a school, which, together with the profits of our press, may amount to two hundred rupees a month, or more: but this is uncertain. I believe we all have a mind to work;' and every one will do his utmost to take all the burden he can from the society: but you must be apprised of our true situation.

'Perhaps you may start at the proposal of investing your money in the company's hands, lest they should become bankrupts, or be dissolved by any means: to this I can only say, that in that case the government of England would, in all probability, become responsible for their debts. You might also fear that it would be taking the reins too much out of the society's hands, and that however well you may be satisfied at present with the conduct of the missionaries, some unhappy circumstance may arise which may cause you to repent of putting the purse in the hands of the missionaries. This, however, would not be the case. The treasurer in India is not the missionaries' but the society's treasurer, and, consequently, must be responsible to them.

'Should you approve of this step, the money must be sent out to this country in hard cash, viz., dollars, on which also we should have a gain. This would be a great saving to the society, furnish a permanent fund, and render the Indian mission much lighter to

We have got

you, and much more pleasant to us. now press, types, and English paper, all paid for; and a printer. The types were got for fifteen hundred rupees less than the estimate, so that what I have drawn for that purpose has paid for them. The whole bible is translated, except 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, which brother Fountain is doing. I am preparing the copy for the press; and unless forbidden by the society, we mean to print one thousand copies of the whole, instead of two thousand of the New Testament. We shall want a little more paper, which we may get here: so that we shall not want very much more money to print the whole, say four thousand rupees, or £500, more than we have. If so, the whole expense will only be

£300 drawn

300 paper

500 more

£1100

It is impossible to be exact, but I think we shall not want more; and as we expect to sell some copies, that will be lessened.

'My paper is gone. Farewell: may the Lord bless you. My love to all ministers and friends. We are well; set off, pack and package, for Serampore, on Wednesday next. Intend to visit these parts at least once a year. Hurry Charon and Sookman express a real attachment to the gospel. The proposal about investing your money in the government funds in

this country is brother Ward's: I think it a very good

one. It will also give us respectability in their

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eyes.

Very affectionately yours,

'W. CAREY.'

'Powel and brother Ward join in love.'

'I have no copy of this.'

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'I have long, very long been designing to write to you, and should have done so before now, had not the very unsettled state of the mission prevented it; and even now I am not perfectly certain how or where we shall be.

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Owing to repeated loss by floods, the works at Mudnabatty are now given up: in consequence of which I had prepared to go to another place which I had bought for myself; I however gave it up to the mission on hearing that more missionaries were expected out; and had begun to erect buildings, &c., at a pretty large expense, and also to remove from Mudnabatty to that place. On the 13th Oct. they arrived, all safe and well; and we expected them up here by the 5th Nov.; but how uncertain are all our prospects! Government refused to let the captain have a cargo, unless he produced them all at the police-office, to enter into agreement to return to Europe as soon as convenient, or get the company's leave to reside in the country. No sooner did we hear this news than brother Fountain set out for

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